The Hungarian Reformed Church, San Francisco & Vicinity, and the United Hungarian House in Los Angeles have invited Mr. Lajos Kósa a politician of Hungary’s ruling party Fidesz to be the guest at the upcoming 1956 commemoration. Mr. Kósa has never been invited to North America by a US or Canadian politician, in fact Mr. Kósa has never been invited anywhere in the West. He is one of the most unpopular (and perhaps among the most corrupt) politicians of the ruling Fidesz party, even so he is not banned from entry to the US. (Read more here about US entry ban of Hungarians.)

Born in Debrecen 53 years ago, Mr. Kósa was the long-time mayor of his town and also an MP since 1998. He served on several parliamentary committees and became a key leader of Fidesz’s parliamentary faction. Recently he stepped down from the party leadership position and was appointed minister without a portfolio overseeing the “Modern Cities” program.

Mr. Lajos Kósa (right) with Prime Minister Viktor Orbán (middle)

Mr. Kósa’s nickname is Mr. Twenty Percent, referring to the bribe he allegedly expects for building projects in his hometown. He is not shy about his racist and anti-Muslim views and often makes anti-Semitic comments; he also admires Putin. Some defend Kósa by saying that the “loud-mouth” politician has no ideological agenda; he is just repeating ruling Fidesz party slogans a hundred times louder. Debrecen was in the headlines recently when the city’s university honored Russian President Putin! The chancellor of the university is a protégée of Mr. Kósa.

Mayor Kósa’s bust was on display in Debrecen

Mr. Kósa’s crowning achievement is the political machine of Debrecen which consistently delivers the votes to his Fidesz party. For example, the city has its own TV channel, a wonderful propaganda tool for Fidesz. It was run by a close ally of Kósa, Mr. Tamás Széles whose hard work was rewarded last year with the Hungarian Consul General position in Los Angeles. Another Kósa ally was city council member Mr. Attila Danku. After Mr. Danku’s untimely death last January, Mr. Kósa has rewarded his son, also called Attila Danku. The young man ended up in California working for Mr. Széles and recently travelled to the Berkeley University to discredit Mr. Bálint Magyar, a political opponent of the Fidesz party. The young Attila Danku and his wife are both Presbyters at the Hungarian Reformed Church, which is located in Redwood City, CA, and they have paid back Kósa’s favor by inviting him to speak at the Church. (Read more here about the Berkeley event.)

This is the Hungarian way – favors for favors. Friends promoting and helping each other from Debrecen while discrediting political opponents.

Mr. Kósa also admires Albert Wass, a fascist and convicted WWII criminal. On February 15, 2008 he gave a rousing speech when Debrecen decided to erect a statue of the anti-Semitic writer. His city also celebrated pro-Hitler Miklós Horthy with a plaque which was installed on the wall of the historic Kollégium building. In a television interview Mr. Kósa defended Debrecen’s Horthy-cult and the dictator’s responsibility in Holocaust mass-murders by saying that United States also mass-murdered the Amerindians! For those who speak Hungarian I highly recommend Mr. Kósa’s almost surreal interview. (Watch here.)

In 2012 young people demonstrated against the Horthy plaque at the Debrecen Kollégium building – the sign reads “Never again Horthy”.

I find it simply shocking that in 2017 Californians, American citizens of Hungarian origin, invite a Hungarian politician who embraces fascists like Wass and Horthy. The Horthy regime declared war on the United States in 1941 and Mr. Kósa’s invitation is an insult to all Americans especially to veterans. This is a political provocation and we have to step up against it. I have no doubts that the vast majority of Hungarian Americans agree with me.

Church and state are separated in the American system. It seems that several Hungarian Reformed Churches in California might violate the law. While enjoying the tax benefits of religious institutions they appear to be engaged in political lobbying for the Orbán government. They should stop providing platform for racist and pro-fascist ideas!

Invitation

Invitation

I call on Rev. Gábor Magyari-Köpe, Hungarian Reformed Church and Mr. Miklós Pereházy of the United Hungarian House to rescind Mr. Kósa’s invitation and find another suitable speaker for the occasion. We also ask our readers to contact Hungary’s new Ambassador in Washington DC, Mr. László Szabó (ambassador.was@mfa.gov.hu) to protest Mr. Kósa’s invitation.

Author: György Lázár
György Lázár came to the US in 1980 on a UNESCO fellowship to complete his Ph.D. at the University of North Carolina. He later moved to California where he became mesmerized by the entrepreneurial spirit of Silicon Valley and spent the next 25 years in high-tech consulting focusing on the financial aspects of technology. In the last couple of years he became a contributor to several Hungarian and English language publications. He and his wife enjoy spending time in Hungary, they try to go to Europe as often as they can.

11 Comments

Is not Horthy dead for well over a half a century?
So what the hell of a purpose can it serve to keep beating on a dead horse?

If we want to talk all about long dead dictators, lets; start with Stalin, Rakosi and Kadar, etc.
And just why the hell not ?

If any one might be interested talk future of politacs, need to start with Nick Maduro, as wander what will hapen in Venezuela.

Yesterday in Moscow news-conference, PBS news corespondence asked him about the food-shortages in his country.
He claimed in his response, he never heard about it.
What about commerade Kim Jon Un, will he start a nuklear war ?

How about Cuba?. Raul is going to quit next year.
Who will be his successor? What will come of it ?
How will Cuba change ? if change at all.
Or will just keep the struggle of the Cuban masses to hope for a future that likely never come?!

Those are the issues that will affect the world of the commerades.
Why silent about that ?
Why just keep beating on a long dead horse, like Horthy?

amazed to see notation of his crowning achievement of Debrecen having it’s own tv channel. Quote “a wonderful propaganda tool for Fidesz. It was run by a close ally of Kósa, Mr. Tamás Széles whose hard work was rewarded last year with the Hungarian Consul ” Now lets compare that to the USA and its myriad of OWN tv channels and the propaganda they spread. Do you as the author see any possible similarities???

Nice to know that the few thousand people who regularly read these postings don’t bother to join the ranks of the lunatics who comment under these articles.

As for Mr. Kósa, sad to say, he is welcomed with open arms by most of the organized diaspora groups in North America, because his government spends millions of dollars on these organizations. Mr Kosa’s party uses Hungarian taxpayers’ money to generate political capital for itself in the US and Canada. He too, like Mr. Trump, can claim, that even if he shot someone in the head in the main street of Debrecen, his backers would stand by him.

Mr Kosa’s main crime is not his fondness for a dictator who ruled Hungary before WWII. The reason why he should not be let into the US is because of his participation in a crime syndicate, that hijacked the rule of law from Hungary, and put a Mafia State in its place.

The last time this happened at the Los Angeles Hungarian House, my father and I were the only two protesters. Most folks asked us why we had to air our dirty laundry. We’ll be there again. Hope others will join us.

Lazar and Gollner are absolutely correct in their opinion above.
The Fidesz trolls are quick to insert their verbal trash.
Kosa is not only a leading member of the mafia state he is also known among his friends as having a rather low IQ.